At Home and at the Doctor: A Health Blog

24 February 2020

4 Reasons to See Your Doctor for an Annual Wellness Exam with Blood Testing

If you have a history of good health and have no chronic medical conditions, you may get lax about having wellness exams from a doctor. An annual checkup is often a good idea even if you're healthy. It's a good way to keep track of your health and catch problems early so you can begin treatment before your health declines. Here are four reasons why regular health exams are important.

1. Some Serious Conditions Have No Symptoms

High blood pressure is a condition that often takes people by surprise. The only way to know if you have high blood pressure is to have your pressure checked. There aren't always symptoms associated with this condition, so the first you become aware of the problem could be during a routine wellness exam. It's important to treat high blood pressure whether you do it through diet or medications since high blood pressure can lead to a stroke or other serious health complications.

2. Blood Testing Can Detect Diseases Early

Your doctor may order blood testing with an annual examination, and check things like cholesterol, liver enzymes, kidney function, thyroid hormones, and blood glucose. A result that's out of the normal range can alert your doctor to potential problems, such as fatty liver or diabetes. You might think your fatigue and other symptoms are due to stress or a hectic lifestyle when you could really have a medical condition developing that routine blood testing can uncover.

3. A Doctor Examines Body Parts You Can't See

Skin cancer can develop anywhere on your body. While you may pay attention to your arms, face, and front of your body, it isn't easy to examine your back or the top of your head. When you have a full-body examination, your doctor can catch abnormal growths and other various health conditions that you miss because you're not able to see them.

4. Your Aging Process Can Be Monitored

Whether you're completely healthy or if you have a medical condition such as diabetes or glaucoma, regular monitoring by a doctor is important so your treatments can keep up with your condition. Your doctor can notice trends over the years that might indicate you're aging faster than normal. This could prompt your doctor to recommend lifestyle and dietary changes so you can continue a healthy life well into your senior years.

Seeing a doctor for an annual wellness exam doesn't take that much time from your schedule and it provides a way for you to know the state of your health from year to year. If your cholesterol and blood sugar are on a slow climb, you know it's time to take action to bring your blood values into normal range so you can prevent harm to your body and put off the need for medication as long as possible.

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About Me

Most people, when they think about health, picture a doctor's office. Indeed, your doctor is a key contributor to your health. They check your vital signs, prescribe medicine when necessary, and can even send you for surgery when a more serious ailment arises. But health care does not just take place in the doctor's office. It's all-encompassing. What you do at home matters; how much exercise you get, what you eat, and how well you sleep all have a huge impact on your health. If you are interesting in learning more about health from an array of perspectives, check out the articles on this blog.